Chapter 2

Rejected by my Alpha. Rejected by my mate. I tried not to think about it. I needed to think about my baby. The little wolf that is growing inside me or maybe not. I had gotten sloppy drunk one night and ended up in the bed of a man that gave me pleasure I have never had before. Could it b his? I mean the time frame was too short and...

No, I shoved the thought to the back of my head as I pressed a hand to my lower abdomen as another dull ache bloomed beneath my ribs. This one was different from the usual stretching pains that I've grown used to. This one was sharp and it scared me. 

Lila was supposed to come with me. She had promised, only for me to wake up and found her bed empty. I didn't blame her. She had done so much for me by staying with a rejected omega carrying an Alpha's child. Association alone was dangerous. 

Still, the loneliness settled deep in my chest. I had left the Ashborne pack months ago, slipped under the cover of night with nothing but shattered bond. Not even my father knew about it. 

I stood outside the hospital. My breath hastening. I hated coming to the hospital, it usually came with warnings that I couldn't adhere to. But I loved my child and didn't want to risk anything. I needed to know what the pain means. To know that my baby was fine. 

I drew in a steady breath as I stepped inside the hospital. A receptionist glanced up, her amber eyes flickering slightly sensing me before I even spoke "You are here for a checkup? " she asked

I nodded, swallowing hard "yes... I want to see my doctor "

The receptionist's eyes softened and she gestured down a hallway "Follow me" 

Doctor Velaris sat across her table. Her hands folded. She was older, her dark hair threaded with silver, eyes sharp but not unkind. Her gaze flicked to my face then went down to my belly. 

"Is everything alright? ", Her face creased in worry

“I’ve been having pains,” I admitted . “They started two days ago. I—” my voice wavered despite my effort. “I just need to know my baby is alright.”

At that, Doctor Velaris's expression softened.

“You should have come sooner,” she said. She stood up from her chair and knelt before me, her warm hands rested just above my abdomen.

“But I came. That matters.”

The doctor murmured under her breath, magic unfurled, light and careful, like fingers testing fragile glass. I stared at the ceiling, blinking hard as memories surged uninvited.

The night I'd felt the mate bond snap into place.

The shock in my chest when I'd told him.

The coldness in Wraith Blackwood’s eyes as he stepped back and said, “I will not take an omega as my mate.”

Not even when I begged him to listen.

A soft pulse brushed against my senses, snapping me back to the present.

The healer smiled faintly. “Your child is strong. Stubborn, even.”

I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Tears slipped free.“Then why does it hurt?” I whispered.

Doctor Velaris's hands lingered a moment longer before she pulled back. “Amaris,” she said softly, “your baby is healthy, but these pains… they’re not just physical. You’ve been under tremendous stress and It’s affecting the little one.”

My stomach twisted at the words. “Stress…? I don’t—” my voice faltered, caught somewhere between shame and fear. “I can’t… I have to—”

“You need to slow down,” she interrupted gently, reading the unspoken panic in my eyes. “But I know you’re alone. You need to make money to survive. I won’t pretend otherwise. Life doesn’t pause because you’re carrying a child.”

I nodded, biting my lip. 

“I can help you,” Doctor Velaris said suddenly, her voice firm “I can offer you a place here, with us. You’ll have work, food, shelter… protection. You wouldn’t be alone. And I can help keep your stress, and your baby, safe.”

My heart thumped wildly. The doctor's words were more than tempting. A pack. A safe place. Stability. But I shook my head, my jaw tight. “I… I can’t,” I said, my voice quieter than I intended. “I can’t belong to anyone’s pack right now. I have to survive on my own"

“Walking alone… without a pack… it’s dangerous,” she warned “Not everyone will care if you’re an omega carrying a child. Some will see it as weakness… and prey.”

"I have to make my own way."

The doctor's eyes softened, but there was a hint of disappointment. “Very well,” she said, letting the pause linger. “But promise me this,don’t carry all of this alone. Stress can hurt more than hunger or cold. Remember that, Amaris.”

I pressed a hand to my stomach instinctively, feeling the tiny life stir beneath me. “I… I’ll try,” I whispered, my throat tight.

The doctor offered a small, understanding smile. “That’s all anyone can ask.”

The doctor's words lingered in my mind as I stepped out of the warm glow of the hospital into the chill of the city streets. 

I clenched my cloak tighter, trying to shake off the unease crawling over my skin. I'd survived this long on my own. I had to survive.

 My senses prickled, a low growl stirring inside my chest.

Then I felt it. A little to late. 

Before I could react, a figure lunged from the alley beside me, teeth bared, claws glinting in the dim lamplight. A rogue. Not part of any pack I recognized.

I stumbled backward, instinct screaming at me to run, but my legs felt heavy, my belly aching from the sudden jolt of fear.

“Stay back!” I cried, trying to sound braver than I felt. My wolf flared, a whisper of silver heat beneath my skin, trying to protect my unborn child.

The rogue snarled, advancing, and I could smell the desperation, the hunger radiating off him.The rogue lunged again, I was too late to defend my self as he pounced on me. I summoned my strength and pushed him away.

 He hissed, My chest heaved as I backed away, keeping my eyes on him. “I… I don’t want to fight!” I shouted, though every nerve was alive with fear.

The rogue hissed again, but a horn sounded from far away, this made him hesitate. Slowly, carefully, he melted back into the shadows, leaving only the faint echo of his snarl behind.

I sank to the ground, trembling, pressing a hand to my stomach.